How can I get money to finance my move?

October 29, 2007 6:09 PM

Are there any companies that still pay to relocate employees?

I'm trying to make like a sheep and get the flock out of Phoenix. I have some savings but I'd rather not use all of it for my move. Every move I've ever made across state lines, with the exception of my most recent one, was financed by a company. It seems to me that these days, no one is interested in offering that. Many of the listings that I see (I'm looking in major cities only) specifically say "no relo." Why have these MFs become so cheap!

posted by notjustfoxybrown to work & money (19 comments total)

Every move I've made - and this last one was from the US to Canada even - has been at least partially paid for. This is academia mostly though.
posted by the dief at 6:13 PM on October 29, 2007

There are definitely companies in tech and finance that will do relocations. What do you do, and how much demand is there for your skills?
posted by b1tr0t at 6:14 PM on October 29, 2007

But hey, major cities you say? Perhaps they think the job market is bad enough that there're enough qualified local people who will apply?
posted by the dief at 6:16 PM on October 29, 2007

My parents have had some luck with government jobs. I believe it will be mentioned in the job announcement if it's an option. Consider peeking around www.usajobs.gov. And good luck!
posted by juliplease at 6:18 PM on October 29, 2007

The Federal government will sometimes pay to relocate. Go to to the Federal job website and search.

Like any other organization, they would rather not pay moving expenses, but it might be worth checking out.
posted by The Deej at 6:18 PM on October 29, 2007

I'm looking mostly in government relations/public affairs ... but I'm far from entry level on this. My other relocations were financed by newspapers when I was still a reporter (and when newspapers were still flush with cash.)
posted by notjustfoxybrown at 6:20 PM on October 29, 2007

My company (major construction company) has paid for my three interstate moves in the last five years.
posted by ittybittyteenyweenyyellowpolkadotbikini at 6:21 PM on October 29, 2007

Microsoft, Google, IBM, Fujitsu/DMR, EDS. I wouldn't know about anything non-tech, sorry.
posted by jkaczor at 6:53 PM on October 29, 2007

Because if they're willing to pay relo, they'll move someone from within the company.
posted by smackfu at 7:25 PM on October 29, 2007

I'm in the NPO world, albeit one that's better known, and all the positions I've seen with it have some degree of relocation expense package. We do, though, for the most part recruit/hire people with a very specific skill set and education who will, for the most part, be making less than they could be doing the same thing in the corporate world.
posted by TomMelee at 7:34 PM on October 29, 2007

If you're asking why companies you want to work for won't relocate you, the answer is "because they don't have to." If they can find qualified employees without paying relocation costs for someone far away (and going through the hassle of interviewing someone who lives far away, etc.), why would they shell out for the more expensive hire? Your question is the equivalent of asking "why won't a company pay me $100,000 a year when they can hire an equally qualified person to do the same work for $90,000?"

If you are asking which companies might be willing to shell out the extra, the answer is one of two things. Either you'd have to be willing to take a pay cut equivalent to the amount they're paying in relocation costs so that you cost the same as a local candidate, or they have to be able to find no suitable local candidates who are as good as you. Companies that put a premium on finding the perfect person and have a lot of resources to spend finding that person (like the tech companies) will pay for a better candidate who lives further away, and they don't care whether that payment comes in the form of relocation costs or higher salary or a company car or whatever. They just care about getting the hire.

I work for a nonprofit in a city, and we pay up to $1000 towards relocation costs, but we take that into account when deciding whether we can afford to hire a distant candidate and how much to offer in salary. If we don't want to pay for relocation, we hire a local candidate. Distant candidates who say they don't need relocation money get a leg up in hiring, because they cost less and are less hassle for us. I imagine a lot of companies that offer relocation work that way. Many companies skip the hassle and simply don't offer relocation, but you may be able to negotiate it in return for a salary reduction.
posted by decathecting at 7:35 PM on October 29, 2007

Absolutely - - mine does. But only for manager-level and above roles, or critical IT spots which have to be away from the home office in NYC.
posted by rpaxton at 7:51 PM on October 29, 2007

I worked for a large engineering company as an intern over the summer, and they paid a rather generous relocation allowance to us. The relocation money combined for the trip there and back came out to about $3000.
posted by !Jim at 7:51 PM on October 29, 2007

One of the (small) places I work still does this, sort of, because they have a thing for trying to get the best people. But I know it's burned them a couple times, with people overselling themselves to get a job, but never intending to keep it after the free move.

I think they pay 50% now for that reason, and reimburse it, so the person has to have the means in the first place.

So IME, it's hard for small or private outfits, and I've advise being considerate of that. It's probably the reason some of the places you see are saying "no relo", especially in tech sectors that have taken their own hits in the last few years. Large or more traditional corporations probably do it more often, of course.
posted by rokusan at 8:11 PM on October 29, 2007

My employer (oil/gas services firm in Texas) paid to relocate me from Austin to Houston when they closed the Austin offices - and also bought my Austin home from me at current market value in addition to paying the closing costs on my new home in Houston.

So yes, companies still do it.
posted by mrbill at 8:15 PM on October 29, 2007

I am a computer programmer and I didn't realize most companies didn't pay relocation until you asked this question. My current company gave me the option to have a full service move or take $5000 in cash, whichever was a better deal for me.
posted by crinklebat at 9:55 PM on October 29, 2007

In my experience (pretty big metros), newspapers still pay relocation expenses.
posted by Airhen at 11:37 PM on October 29, 2007

My newspaper (circ. 50,000) and the newspaper I worked for before this (20,000 something) both pay relocation still. Not necessarily enough to cover all moving costs, but enough to make the move more affordable.
posted by croutonsupafreak at 6:53 AM on October 30, 2007

Mine does.
posted by Area Control at 12:50 PM on October 30, 2007